Children aged between five and 11 will be able to secure their first dose of the Pfizer produced COVID-19 vaccine from January 10th.
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The vaccine is a special formulation and will be delivered in doses small enough to generate an immune response that is as strong as a full adult dose.
And with a return to school just around the corner, the opening of vaccination to children has come at a critical time.
Dr Thevashangar Vasuthevan from the Griffith Respiratory Clinic and Vaccination Hub located at Your Health Griffith said there was nothing to fear from parents about their children receiving the vaccine.
"It is exactly the same Pfizer vaccine that people worldwide have safely been receiving for the past year and has been trialed, tested and approved by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration," Dr Vasuthevan said.
"If you look to the real evidence, there is no need for concern."
And whilst parents may be weighing up the risks and benefits of giving a young child a vaccine, the benefits are well worth it.
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NSW Chief Pediatrician Matthew O'Meara said that whilst some children 'may complain about a sore arm', side affects from the vaccine were very uncommon in children.
"We know it's safe," Dr O'Meara said.
"It's been tested in thousands of children in clinical trials and millions of doses of first and second doses have been given in other countries."
And whilst most children will be asymptomatic or mild symptoms, other children can become seriously ill and require hospitalisation if they aren't vaccinated.
Approximately one or two in every 100 children would require hospitalisation and one in 10000 would end up in intensive care.
"We expect those numbers to be lower with the Omicron strain but it's still not an entirely benign disease," Dr O'Meara said.
Dr Vasuthevan said now was a critical juncture for the children of Griffith to get their first dose of vaccine, with school resuming in mere weeks.
"Children are the group that will transmit more but have the smallest vaccination rate," Vasuthevan said.
"It is proven that vaccination reduces transmissibility and reduces the need for hospitalisation."
To book your child a vaccination please click here.
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